ot hinges on Natals ability, or lack thereof, to avoid the big shot.

Excerpted from Courage to Soar: A Body in Motion, A Life in Balance by Simone Biles, Copyright ? 2016 by Simone Biles. Used by permission of Zondervan, www.zondervan.com.From Chapter 19: The Final Five... [On] Tuesday, August 9, our team did exactly what we had been training for so many years to do: We performed almost flawless routines and won team gold. If the all-around win was considered to be the jewel in the crown, the team medal was the crown itself -- the main reason we were there. On the podium afterward, feeling the heavy gold disc around my neck, I felt so privileged to be standing with my teammates. All I could think was, Wow, we did it. How long have I dreamed about this? We were so happy for each other and for ourselves, but our job was only half over. The all-around competition and the event finals were still to come. I wasnt anywhere near finished trying to make my family and my country proud.That afternoon, we told Martha that wed named ourselves the Final Five as a tribute to her. When we explained how wed all agreed on the name, she dabbed the corners of her eyes and said in her thick accent, Oh my God, I love you guys even more now! And she hugged us tightly. The rest of the afternoon and evening was a whirl of press interviews and photo ops, and then it was home to our little pod in the Olympic Village. We all fell right into bed, because we had to be up for our regular eight a.m. training the next morning. Before going to sleep, I carefully folded the green multicolored ribbon around my medal and put it at the bottom of my backpack. Later, they would give us sleek wooden cases to hold our medals, but for now, my makeshift storage would have to do.Can you believe we actually did it? Laurie whispered, stifling a yawn before we drifted off. Were not just Olympians now; were gold medalists.I was too exhausted from happiness to answer, so I just smiled. But when I awoke the next morning, I wasnt quite sure if the day before had all been a dream. I reached for my backpack and pulled out the medal, just to be sure. I unrolled the green ribbon and placed the gold disc in the palm of my hand, feeling its distinctive weight as I sent up a silent prayer of gratitude.Thursday morning, the day of the Olympic all-around competition, dawned bright and clear. The apartment was silent when I opened my eyes. The rest of the girls except for Aly had already gone to breakfast. From there they would head to the training hall. Later, they would be in the gymnastics arena to see Aly and me battle it out with the best in the world for the coveted all-around title.I went to find Aly. She was in her room and still in bed. I feel so good about today, I told her.Me too, she said, holding up one hand for a fist bump.Were so prepared. I have a really good feeling.My heart was galloping in my chest, but it wasnt nerves; it was excitement. I could hardly wait to get into the arena. Aly and I each showered and then we did our hair and makeup together in the living room. We took our time because the competition wouldnt begin until the early afternoon. I outlined my eyes in gold glitter and chose a nude lipstick instead of a bold one. The eye makeup, with my usual winged corners, was dramatic enough, and my sparkly leo would complete the effect. The night before, wed chosen the leos we wanted to wear and laid them out on our beanbag chairs. Aly had opted for the shiny red with lines of crystals fanning out from the neckline like bursts of sunlight, while Id selected a super patriotic number with sheer white crystal-studded sleeves, and dazzling red-and-white stripes running from the shoulders down both sides, framing a high-sheen blue fabric dotted with glittering stars. Id saved this leotard, my favorite, for the all-around. I hoped its shimmer would help me win gold.I was already feeling incredibly happy to be sharing this day with Aly, who was such a rock-solid competitor and friend. As we walked to the bus that would take us to the arena, we held hands like schoolgirls and bobbed our heads to the music coming through our headphones. Every so often wed hug each other and say, Youre good. Youve worked so hard. You deserve to be here. Youve got this. And then wed say, I love you so much. I love you, no matter what. Today will be a good day.Our warm-up in the training hall went without a hitch or a fall, and then it was show time. Before we walked out to compete, we always used the bathroom just in case. As I washed my hands and stared at my face in the mirror, my stomach was suddenly doing somersaults. I plopped down on a bench that was just outside the bathroom and tried to pull myself together. A few moments later, Aly walked out and sat down beside me. When she leaned her head back against the wall, I noticed she looked really pale.Are you okay? I said.She shook her head from left to right.Are you okay? she asked me.No, I said. I feel like Im going to throw up.The two of us sat there for several minutes, breathing slowly and trying to settle ourselves down.Were okay, I said after a while.Weve got this, Aly said.We can do this.Weve done this so many times.I love you, Aly.I love you, Simone.Lets go.We did another fist bump and walked out onto the arena floor.Courage to Soar releases on Tuesday, order your copy here. Dave Concepcion Jersey Large . Roman Josi had a goal and an assist to lead the Predators to a 4-1 victory over the Dallas Stars on Monday night. Tom Seaver Jersey Large . Goals from Jerome Boateng, Franck Ribery and Thomas Mueller extended Bayerns unbeaten run to a record 37 matches. "This record is incredible," Bayern coach Pep Guardiola said. http://www.customredsjersey.com/custom-reggie-sanders-jersey-large-282w.html .com) - Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Roger Federer were easy first-round winners Tuesday at the Australian Open. Custom Reds T-shirts . Fellow centre Pavel Datsyuk remains out because of a concussion. Zetterberg has 11 goals and 19 assists for a team-high 30 points, and Datsyuk has a team-high 12 goals and 11 assists. Custom Johnny Bench Jersey . Robinson finished with 17 points, all but two in the second half, and Lawson had 14 after halftime and finished with a game-high 11 assists as the Nuggets handed Dallas its first home loss in eight games this season. J.J. Hickson led Denver with 22, and Kenneth Faried added 10 points and 10 rebounds. In a year that already has proved to be massive for the UFC, with one major card after another, UFC 205 on Nov. 12 at Madison Square Garden in New York looks to be the biggest and most important of them all. In honor of such a marquee event, ESPN.com is providing dedicated previews to all 13 bouts on the card, breaking down whats at stake and projecting who will win, along with quotes and statistics for each fighter.Middleweights: Rafael Natal (21-7-1) vs. Tim Boetsch?(19-10)Odds as of Nov. 2:?Natal -160; Boetsch +140Dana Whites thoughtsYou know, two tough veterans, battling to stick around here. Thats how sports go. All sports, not just this one. Make a few errors in a key game, youre on the line. NFL -- Jonas Gray was a running back for the Patriots, stud, every time they put him on the field hed get 100 yards rushing, was late to practice and you never saw the guy again. Done. So, thats just the truth of every sport.Whats at stake?One step back to take a few forward for NatalManhattans Renzo Gracie Jiu-Jitsu academy sits less than two blocks away from Madison Square Garden.Natal, 33, has been shaping his skills at W. 30th Street since moving to New York eight years ago and believes none of those years has been as critical to his development as 2016.Natal was recently shaping up to be the Cinderella of the division, having strung together four consecutive wins. That streak ended in April, when he came up short in a three-round fight against Australias Robert Whittaker.Following the loss, Natal requested time off to fill certain holes in his game, and he is eager to show that off against a battle-tested opponent in Boetsch.Renzos academy is one street behind Madison Square Garden. I see it every day, Natal said. In my last fight, I couldnt take him down -- first time in 30 fights. I take people down all the time. He avoided it, and that was a little frustrating. But I believe everything happens for a reason. Sometimes the best thing is to take one step back to take a few steps forward.I asked the UFC to give me a few months off to improve. Had I beat Whittaker, I would have asked for a top-five [opponent]. I wasnt ready for that, but now Ive fixed these things.Boetsch: I never feel secure until I get my hand raisedJust about every fighter on the UFCs roster would have given anything to receive an offer to fight in New York.When that offer came for Boetsch, the first emotion he felt was something close to dread.I was expecting to fight at the beginning of next year, Boetsch said. When I got a call from [matchmaker] Joe Silva out of the blue, I was concerned.Boetsch, 35, is coming off an upset win over Josh Samman in July, but before that, The Barrbarian had lost three consecutive bouts.dddddddddddd He has never forgotten what it felt like to exit the UFC; the promotion let him walk in 2009 before re-signing him the following year.I had three losses in a row before my last fight, Boetsch said. I was anticipating the call to say, We appreciate your time but no longer need your services. I was prepared for that call, and it never came. Instead, they called to offer me a fight on the biggest card in UFC history.I take pride in giving people exactly what they expect when I fight, but if were being honest, I never feel secure until I get my hand raised. Ive been cut by the UFC before. I understand the nature of this business. You better put on an exciting performance, but at the same time, you better win every fight. I go in with that mindset. I probably shouldnt put that pressure on myself, but its always on my mind.Boetsch believes others fighters might have scrambled their game after dropping three in a row, but says he was able to take a sensible approach. In June 2015, he got caught by a Dan Henderson right hand. In January of this year, it was an Ed Herman knee. Disappointing losses for sure, but Boetsch said he believes he has always had the recipe for success and that it hasnt changed.Those are two weapons no one wants to run into, and they found their way through on me, Boetsch said. Thats just fighting. I know the formula to win is there though. I just need to execute.Statistical comparisonNatal: 21-7-1 record (9-5-1 UFC); four-fight winning streak snapped in last fight Natal: 36 takedowns in UFC competition, most all-time in middleweight divisionBoetsch: 19-10 record (10-9 UFC); 14 of 19 wins by stoppage Boetsch: Lands 53 percent of significant strikes in UFC middleweight fights, sixth-highest among active UFC middleweightsBreakdownNatal isnt kidding when he says he couldnt get Whittaker down. He struggled to get anything going in that last fight, and his decision to take time off and evolve speaks to that.Boetsch doesnt have the same steady kickboxing approach that gave Natal so much trouble. His output is way lower, but he has a good deal of one-punch knockout power. Natal performs better when hes not on his back foot the whole time, which shouldnt be the case against the heavy-handed but at times lumbering style of Boetsch.A lot hinges on Natals ability, or lack thereof, to avoid the big shot. Hes durable and will probably have an advantage with judges simply because he does more, but Boetsch is a bigger threat for a KO.PREDICTION:?Natal via decision. ' ' '